Lead frame with grooved lead finger

ABSTRACT

A lead finger of a lead frame has a number of channels or grooves in a portion of its top surface that provide a locking mechanism for securing a bond wire to the lead finger. The bond wire may be attached to the lead finger by stitch bonding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices, andmore particularly to a lead frame having a grooved tip for securing abond wire to the tip.

Wire bonding technology is used for connecting bond wires between asemiconductor die and lead fingers of a lead frame or substrateelectrical connection pads. The wire bonding process includes feedingthe bond wire through a capillary of a wire bonding device and using thecapillary to facilitate the bonding of the wire to the die and the leadframe or substrate.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional semiconductor device10 having a semiconductor die 12, a lead frame 14 having a die flag 16and lead fingers 18 surrounding the die flag 16, bond wires 20 extendingbetween the die 12 and the lead fingers 18, and a molding compound 22that encapsulates the semiconductor die 12 and bond wires 20.

In the assembly process, the bond wires 20 are attached and electricallyconnected to bond pads of the die and ends of the lead fingers (orsubstrate) with a wire bonding machine by applying ultrasonic pressureand heat. For example, a bond wire is threaded through a capillary andthen a free end of the bond wire is first melted to form a free air ball(FAB). The FAB is attached to the die bond pad by pressing the FABagainst a die bond pad and applying thermal and ultrasonic energy. Thebond wire 20 is then moved to the surface of a respective lead finger 18of the lead frame 14 using the wire bonding device and then pressed ontothe surface of the lead finger 18 again by applying ultrasonic andthermal energy. Once the wire 20 is attached to the lead finger 18, thecapillary pulls on and breaks the wire 20 from the lead finger 18 andthen the process is repeated with the capillary going from die bond padto lead finger.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the bond wire 20 being attached to a leadfinger or the lead frame 14 with a capillary 30. This bond usually iscalled a stitch bond 32. The bond to the die bond pad sometimes isreferred to as the first bond and the bond to the lead finger as thesecond bond. One problem in semiconductor device assembly is a poorsecond bond. That is, a stitch bond generally is not as reliable as aball bond. For example, For example, the second bond

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are photographs of poor or compromised second bonds.FIG. 3 is a picture 40 of a broken stitch bond 42 that was damaged whenthe substrate was subjected to an open/short failure test. FIG. 4 is apicture 44 of a broken stitch bond 46 that was damaged in a similarmanner. FIG. 5 is a picture 48 of two stitch bonds 50 and 52 having heelcracks.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be able to form a more reliablesecond bond and have a semiconductor device with more reliable secondbonds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is notlimited by the accompanying figures, in which like references indicatesimilar elements. Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicityand clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example,the thicknesses of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional, side view of a conventionalsemiconductor package;

FIG. 2 illustrates the formation of a conventional stitch bond or secondbond;

FIG. 3 is a photograph of a broken stitch bond that was formed using aconventional bonding process after being subjected to an open/shortfailure test;

FIG. 4 is another photograph of a broken stitch bond that was formedusing a conventional bonding process after being subjected to anopen/short failure test;

FIG. 5 is a photograph of a stitch bond formed using a conventionalbonding process after being subjected to an open/short failure test;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a substrate with channelsformed on a substrate electrical connection pad of the substrate inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the substrate of FIG. 6 with abond wire attached thereto;

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of a substrate with a bond wireattached thereto in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a substrate electrical connection pad inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed illustrative embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein. However, specific structural and functional details disclosedherein are merely representative for purposes of describing exampleembodiments of the present invention. The present invention may beembodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limitedto only the embodiments set forth herein. Further, the terminology usedherein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only andis not intended to be limiting of example embodiments of the invention.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It further will be understood that the terms “having,”“comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” specify thepresence of stated features, steps, or components, but do not precludethe presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, orcomponents. It also should be noted that in some alternativeimplementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the ordernoted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession mayin fact be executed substantially concurrently or may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/actsinvolved. Also, the terms stitch bond and second bond have been usedinterchangeably in this specification.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of wirebonding. A substrate having a plurality of channels formed on asubstrate electrical connection pad of the substrate is provided. Astitch bond of a wire is formed on the substrate such that a first endof the wire is embedded within the plurality of channels of thesubstrate.

In another embodiment, the present invention is a semiconductor device.The semiconductor device includes a substrate having a plurality ofchannels formed on a substrate electrical connection pad. Asemiconductor die is attached to a die-attach area of the substrate andbond wires are electrically coupled to the substrate and to thesemiconductor die. An end of each bond wire is embedded within thechannels of the substrate to form a secure bond on the substrateelectrical connection pad.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a side cross-sectional view of a substrate 60is illustrated. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 60 includesa plurality of channels 62 formed on a substrate electrical connectionpad 64 of the substrate 60. The substrate 60 may be a printed circuitboard (PCB), a flexible circuit board, or a lead frame. When theinvention is embodied in a lead frame, the plurality of channels 62 areformed in lead fingers of the lead frame, and more particularly, in theposition on the lead finger where a bond wire is attached to the leadfinger, typically proximate to one end of the lead finger. Each of theplurality of channels 62 has a generally rectangular shape. However,other shapes may be envisaged.

In this exemplary embodiment, the substrate 60 includes three verticalchannels 62. More or fewer of the channels 62 may be formed on thesubstrate 60. In certain embodiments, the number of the channels 62 isfrom one (1) to about three (3).

The plurality of channels 62 may be formed on the substrate 50 using achemical etching process, which is known in the art. Other techniquesthat may be used for forming the channels 52 include a laser machiningprocess, an ion milling process, a mechanical process such as stamping,or combinations thereof. Such techniques are well known and thusdetailed descriptions thereof are not necessary for a completeunderstanding of the present invention.

In the illustrated embodiment, each channel 62 has a width of about 5 to15 microns and a depth of about 5 to 15 microns. The depth of thechannel 62 depends on the depth of the substrate electrical connectionpad 64. For example, if the too many channels are formed too deeply inthe connection pad 64, wire bounce may be experienced during the wirebonding process.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the substrate 60 with one endof a bond wire 66 attached to the substrate electrical connection pad64. The bond wire 66 may be formed of gold, aluminum, or copper, as isknown in the art, and may be bare, plated, or coated. During the wirebonding process, when the second bond is formed, as illustrated, a firstend 68 of the bond wire 66 is embedded within the channels 62. Thesecond bond formed by embedding the bond wire 66 within the channels 62of the substrate 60 increases the contact surface area between the wireand the substrate, and also provides an anchor-locking mechanism therebyimproving the strength of the second bond.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, another end of thebond wire 66 may be attached to a bond pad of a semiconductor die (notshown), whereby the wire forms an electrical connection between the dieand the substrate/lead finger. The bond wire 66 may be coupled to therespective bond pad of the semiconductor die by ball bonding, as isknown in the art.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the substrate 60 and substrateelectrical connection pad 64 with a plurality of channels 70 formed in asurface of the connection pad 64. In this embodiment, the channels 72are oriented at an angle 72 relative to a longitudinal axis 74 of thesubstrate 60. In this example embodiment, the angle 72 is in a rangefrom about 30° to 90°, and in the embodiment shown, the angle 72 isabout 30° degrees. FIG. 8 also shows the bond wire 66 attached to theconnection pad 64, such as by stitch bonding, with the end of the wire66 being embedded with the channels 70.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a top plan view of the substrate connection pad64 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown.In this embodiment, the substrate connection pad 64 has nine (9)channels 70 formed in its top surface. The channels 70 may be formed asthree channels that extend perpendicular to the line X-X shown in thedrawing, where the line X-X indicates the direction of a wire 66 whenattached to the connection pad 64. Alternatively, as shown, the channels70 may be formed as nine (9) separate channels arranged in an arrayformation. It will be understood that there may be more or less thanthree rows and/or three columns of channels, depending on the wirediameter and connection pad size. In the embodiment shown, the channels70 have dimensions of L×W×D each of about 5˜15 microns. In one alternateembodiment of the invention, the channels comprise micro-dimples formedin the surface of the substrate connection pad/lead finger. Themicro-dimples are sized and shaped to allow the bond wire to be embeddedwithin the dimples so that a strong and reliable second bond is formed.In one example, the micro-dimples are 5˜15 microns and are formed as anarray in the surface of the connection pad/lead finger.

The present technique of forming a stitch bond may be utilized inpackaging a semiconductor die. The semiconductor package may include asubstrate having channels as described above on a substrate electricalconnection pad. A semiconductor die such as an integrated circuit may beattached to a die attach area of the substrate using a die-attachadhesive like epoxy. The semiconductor die then may be electricallycoupled to the substrate using bond wires. The bond wires may beattached to the die bond pads and the substrate connection pads usingwire bonding equipment. The bond wires are ball bonded to the bond padsof the semiconductor die and attached to the substrate connection pads(or lead fingers) by embedding the ends of the wires within the channelstherein to form a good, reliable second bond. A molding compound such asepoxy may be subsequently dispensed onto the substrate to cover thesemiconductor die and the electrical connections thereto to form thesemiconductor package.

The present invention, as described above, allows for forming a highquality stitch bond between bond wires and substrate electricalconnection pads of a substrate in semiconductor packages. The presentwire bonding technique may be utilized for any leadframe or substratepackages that require wire bonding. The stitch bond formed using theabove described process provides for relatively large bond contactsurface area with a locking mechanism for locking the bond wires therebyenhancing the robustness and package reliability to withstand stressesduring mounting of such packages on board and other customerapplications.

By now it should be appreciated that there has been provided an improvedpackaged semiconductor device and a method of forming the packagedsemiconductor device. Circuit details are not disclosed becauseknowledge thereof is not required for a complete understanding of theinvention. Although the invention has been described using relativeterms such as “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under” and thelike in the description and in the claims, such terms are used fordescriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanentrelative positions. It is understood that the terms so used areinterchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that theembodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capableof operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwisedescribed herein.

Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used toarbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus,these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or otherprioritization of such elements. Further, the use of introductoryphrases such as “at least one” and “one or more” in the claims shouldnot be construed to imply that the introduction of another claim elementby the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claimcontaining such introduced claim element to inventions containing onlyone such element, even when the same claim includes the introductoryphrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as“a” or “an.” The same holds true for the use of definite articles.

Although the invention is described herein with reference to specificembodiments, various modifications and changes can be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention as set forth in theclaims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and allsuch modifications are intended to be included within the scope of thepresent invention. Any benefits, advantages, or solutions to problemsthat are described herein with regard to specific embodiments are notintended to be construed as a critical, required, or essential featureor element of any or all the claims.

1-15. (canceled)
 15. A method of wire bonding, comprising: providing asubstrate having a plurality of channels formed on a surface of asubstrate electrical connection pad, wherein the channels are orientedat an angle of about 30° relative to a longitudinal axis of thesubstrate; attaching a semiconductor die to a die attach area of thesubstrate; ball bonding a first end of a bond wire to a contact pad ofthe semiconductor die; and stitch bonding a second end of the bond wireto the substrate electrical connection pad, wherein the second end ofthe bond wire is embedded within the plurality of channels of thesubstrate electrical connection pad.
 16. The method of wire bonding ofclaim 15, wherein the substrate comprises a lead frame and the substrateelectrical connection pad comprises a lead finger.
 17. The method ofwire bonding of claim 15, wherein the wire is formed of gold, aluminum,or copper.
 18. The method of wire bonding of claim 15, wherein theplurality of channels comprise vertical channels.
 19. The method of wirebonding of claim 18, wherein the plurality of channels are oriented atan angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the substrate.
 20. Themethod of wire bonding of claim 15, wherein the plurality of channelsare formed using one of chemical etching, mechanical stamping, and lasercutting.